Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to leave for Colombo on November 14 to attend the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, state media reported Saturday.
On the sidelines of the Commonwealth meeting, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with other heads of states including the president of Sri Lanka on the promotion of bilateral trade.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Growth with Equity”.
The secretary of foreign affairs will represent Pakistan in the ministerial level meeting to be held prior to the summit, the Foreign Office said.
A meeting of Commonwealth Business Forum will also be held in Colombo. The Board of Investment (BOI) chairman Muhammad Zubair will attend the business forum.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent countries, the former colonies of the Britain. After every two years, Commonwealth leaders meet at CHOGM to discuss global and Commonwealth issues and to agree on collective policies and initiatives.
The summit routinely discuss issues including international peace and security, democracy, good governance, sustainable development, debt management, education, environment, gender equality, health, human rights, information and communication technology, law, multilateral trade issues, small states and youth affairs.